Malware

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Mobile Malware: Small Numbers, but Growing. THE warning was dire: A small security company revealed a flaw in millions of smartphones that could allow dangerous software to masquerade as a legitimate app and seize control of a phone.

The threat was a big conversation topic at this year’s Black Hat security conference. But after that, we didn’t hear much more about it. Perhaps that should not be surprising. For some time, computer security companies have been on the lookout for apps meant to do harm to smartphones. But for all the concern, so-called mobile malware has not had much of an impact on regular people. A recent report by the security company McAfee said that there was a 197 percent increase in mobile malware from 2012 to 2013. The actual number of phones hit by mobile malware, however, is tiny. Photo By comparison, the recent hack of Home Depot’s computer network affected 56 million cardholders.
Bank Hackers Steal Millions via Malware. Photo PALO ALTO, Calif. — In late 2013, an A.T.M. in Kiev started dispensing cash at seemingly random times of day.

No one had put in a card or touched a button. Cameras showed that the piles of money had been swept up by customers who appeared lucky to be there at the right moment. But when a Russian cybersecurity firm, Kaspersky Lab, was called to Ukraine to investigate, it discovered that the errant machine was the least of the bank’s problems. The bank’s internal computers, used by employees who process daily transfers and conduct bookkeeping, had been penetrated by malware that allowed cybercriminals to record their every move.

Then the group impersonated bank officers, not only turning on various cash machines, but also transferring millions of dollars from banks in , , Switzerland, the United States and the Netherlands into dummy accounts set up in other countries. Continue reading the main story Transferring money into hackers’ fraudulent bank accounts fraudulent accounts overseas. How to Protect Your Computer from Hackers, Spyware and Viruses. This article has been inspired by a situation I ran into while visiting a cousin in India.

Since I’m in the IT field, she asked me to take a look at her computer since it was acting “funny”. The “funny” part was that the computer would automatically restart whenever you tried to install ANY software onto it or download any program from the Internet. The first thing I noticed was that there was no anti-virus software installed on the computer, so my first goal was to install an anti-virus program and check for viruses. But of course, the virus that was already on the computer would not let me install or download anything! Smart virus! Most of the viruses on the computer were hidden in files that had been downloaded off the Internet: songs, videos, and movies. This is by no means a comprehensive list, so if you have any suggestions, please feel free to comment and I’ll add them on!
Week Six - ED 230 Introduction to Educational Technology.

In their words: Experts weigh in on Mac vs. PC security. CNET asks a host of security experts which of the major operating-system platforms is more secure for consumers.

Here's what they have to say. When I am asked the question "Which is more secure, Mac or PC?
" I find myself stumbling around for a response because I don't have a clear-cut answer. I use both. And I use antivirus software with both. So I decided to conduct an informal survey of a bunch of security experts and see what they had to say in the hopes that people can use the information to help them come to their own conclusions. Before I provide quotes from the 32 experts who participated in the survey, along with edited comments from an interview with a Microsoft representative and a link that Apple provided, I'd like to share some relevant research from antivirus vendor ESET. ESET released the results of a survey in November related to awareness of cybercrime in the U.S.

For my survey I asked security experts: Which is more secure for consumers--Mac or PC, and why?
Mac OS X Snow Leopard and malware detection - Apple Support. "Malware" is an abbreviated term for malicious software.

Malware includes viruses, worms, trojan horses, and other types of software that can damage the software on your system or violate your privacy. Malware can be installed on your computer when you download content or applications from the Internet, via email, text messaging, or websites. Mac OS X v10.6 Snow Leopard checks for known malware and alerts you so that you do not accidentally install it on your system. Files downloaded via applications such as Safari, iChat, and Mail are checked for safety at the time that they are opened. If a file is identified as containing known malware, the system will display a dialog that alerts you to move it to the Trash. Apple maintains a list of known malicious software that is used during the safe download check to determine if a file contains malicious software.

Security Update 2011-003 provides additional protection by checking for the MacDefender malware and its known variants.